Animals Having High Success Rate in Hunting
African wild dogs - 85% successful kills African wild dogs' slender physique and endearingly huge ears are deceptive; they are one of the most effective predators on the planet, with a kill rate per chase of greater than 85%.
Black-footed cat - 60% successful kills Black-footed cats are nocturnal hunters who are remarkably busy and successful - one scientist's investigations suggest that they make a hunting effort every 30 minutes and are successful 60% of the time, making them one of the world's most efficient predators.
Cheetah - 58% successful kills A 2012 Serengeti research saw 192 cheetah pursuits, 114 of which resulted in a kill - a success rate of 58%. To prevent larger predators from snatching their hard-earned food, they relocate them to more isolated, shadier areas; yet, research indicates that they are evicted 10% of the time.
Leopard - 38% successful kills Leopard studies have showed a broad range of success rates, ranging from 38% for individuals in north-east Namibia to 14% in the Kalahari. A mother with cubs has a kill rate of 28%, but a lone male only has a 14% success rate!
Domestic cat - 32% successful kills A study of feral domestic cats conducted by scientists in northern Australia discovered that they were killed in 32 of 101 hunting efforts, with a success rate of 32%. When they were hunting in open terrain, their kill rate increased to 70%. Only 28% of kills were consumed.
Lions - 25% successful kills Lions are the prototypical apex predator, but their hunting success rate is highly dependent on the number of lions participating - a single lion hunting in daylight has a success rate of 17-19%, but this rises to 30% when hunting in groups of three or more.
Wolves - 14% successful kills The average kill rate for this species was 14% in 14 distinct studies of wolf hunts, but there is a lot of variety within that. Wolves pursuing moose on Isle Royale (in Lake Superior, US) were only successful 6% of the time, but wolves chasing white-tailed deer in Minnesota were successful 20% of the time.
Polar bear - 10% successful kills Polar bears mostly hunt by ambushing seals in their snow lairs or as they approach their breathing holes, or by following seals on sea ice - both methods have a 10% success rate, according to study.
Tiger - 5% successful kills Based on observations in India's Kanha National Park, US field biologist George Schaller estimated that tigers were successful just 5% of the time, whereas tiger conservationist Valmik Thapar estimated 10%.